Westport Colonial by renowned architect on market

Meg Barone

Published 11:14 am, Monday, February 4, 2013

Photo: Granite Studios/contributed Phot

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This Colonial house at 1 Spring Hill Road, designed by renowned 20th century architect Frazier Forman Peters, was completely renovated last year to accommodate 21st-century living. It was built in 1928 and sits on a 1.24-acre parcel. less

This Colonial house at 1 Spring Hill Road, designed by renowned 20th century architect Frazier Forman Peters, was completely renovated last year to accommodate 21st-century living. It was built in 1928 and sits ... more

Photo: Granite Studios/contributed Phot

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The kitchen features a coffered ceiling, large center island with deep stainless sink and seating for four, Kashmir granite counters, custom cabinets and a hardwood floor. It also has Thermador stainless steel appliances, including a six-burner range. less

The kitchen features a coffered ceiling, large center island with deep stainless sink and seating for four, Kashmir granite counters, custom cabinets and a hardwood floor. It also has Thermador stainless steel ... more

Photo: Granite Studios/contributed Phot

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The two-story great room boasts a floor-to-ceiling stone fireplace and hand-hewn exposed beams. A solarium and an inglenook with thick white wood columns can be found off the great room.

The two-story great room boasts a floor-to-ceiling stone fireplace and hand-hewn exposed beams. A solarium and an inglenook with thick white wood columns can be found off the great room.

Photo: Granite Studios/contributed Phot

Westport Colonial by renowned architect on market

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A Colonial house at 1 Spring Hill Road in the Old Hill neighborhood is architecturally and historically significant because it was designed and built by renowned 20th century architect and author Frazier Forman Peters (1893-1963).

The stone house was completely renovated in 2012 to create a modern floor plan and make other modifications to accommodate today's lifestyle. It's unusual in that most of Peters' houses are compartmentalized into many small rooms and narrow hallways. This house has large, open rooms and wide hallways.

The renovation was so extensive that it is really like owning a newly constructed house within the framework of a Frazier Peters house. "The house still retains the exterior appearance as built. The interior has been modified for more modern living but still retains his characteristic design elements," said Bob Weingarten, a local Realtor and member of the Historic District Commission. Weingarten was the curator of a Westport Historical Society exhibit in 2011 called "Frazier Forman Peters: At Home with Stone."

The Spring Hill house's proximity to the Merritt Parkway makes it ideal for commuters, who can return each day to a private, natural setting including a large pond fed by Poplar Plains Brook. The pond and its surroundings served as part of Peters' canvas for the three houses he designed and built from 1928 to 1930 on this road, which changes from Spring Hill to Possum Run. This house was built in 1928 and it sits on a 1.24-acre parcel.

Peters "always built houses with the land in mind," according to Laura Blau, a Philadelphia architect following in the footsteps of her famed grandfather. The house at 1 Spring Hill Road is a prime example of his intent to "live with nature," she said.

Entry into the 4,000-square-foot house is through double front doors that have history of their own. They came from one of Richard Rogers' Fairfield residences. The doors were originally from a castle in Belgium.

Inside, there is a two-story great room with a floor-to-ceiling stone fireplace and hand-hewn exposed beams. Off this room there is a solarium and an inglenook punctuated by thick white wood columns.

Despite the era in which the house was built, it has 9-foot and vaulted ceilings. There are numerous storage areas, cubbies, drawers and other built-ins throughout the house.

Features in the gourmet kitchen include a coffered ceiling, sizable center island with deep stainless sink and seating for four, Kashmir granite counters, custom cabinets and a hardwood floor. Thermador stainless steel appliances include a six-burner range.

There is an adjacent breakfast room with stone walls and a view of the pond and a lower level office or media room with chestnut wood beams.

On the second floor, the master bedroom suite has dual closets, a sitting room and a luxurious master bath with more than two tons of Carrera marble. The marble floors in the main portion of the bath and the water closet are heated. On the walls the marble is polished. The floors feature honed marble. Other features include a double vanity and a Victoria and Albert soaking tub.

The laundry room has French tumbled limestone, and a first-floor bath has porcelain tile flooring.

South-facing windows have museum-quality treated glass.

The guest cottage has a living room, bedroom and full bath.

For more information or to set up an appointment to see the house, contact Alex Chingas of Riverside Realty at 203-451-0081.